Red vs Blue
by VnixxiR
Summary: Collection of short stories focusing mainly on Fang and Lightning during Chapter 11 on Gran Pulse.  I try not to spoil too much but consider this fair warning for chapters I may or may not write. -Now with endgame spoilers.  Consider yourselves warned-
1. Misdirection

**I – Misdirection**

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There were many things about Fang that intrigued Lightning.

Much to her irritation, the Pulsian woman often invaded her thoughts. While it was usually Fang who forced her attention through playful provocation, more often than not as of late, Fang only needed to be within Lighting's line of sight to invoke a whirlpool of thoughts and emotions that the solder had found increasingly difficult to handle. The Pulsian could merely be standing as she was then, at the back of the group, during a break in their seemingly never-ending journey. Weight on one leg, her right hand on her hip, her eyes on the sky, and her hair dancing on the slight breeze that whispered through the tight ravine path.

Lightning would never admit that she was ever so slightly jealous of Fang's hair. Free, flowing, wild and untamable—perfectly fitting for the Pulsian. No single strand of Fang's hair had a set place, yet none ever seemed out of place. There was never a need for her to fuss over the dark locks after a battle. A simple run-through with her hand or gentle toss with her head was all she needed—if anything—to perhaps remove a stray bang from her eyes.

Her eyes. Lightning still hadn't decided what color Fang's eyes were. The rare occasion where she had met them long enough with her own, she had decided on a deep blue. Indigo perhaps? However, side-glances in the sun flashed glints of emerald green. Blue or green? Lightning had yet to confirm either color but refused to hold the other woman's gaze long enough to do so—if only for the fear of falling too far into the sea of mystery that lay within them.

Now that's not to say Lightning was scared of Fang, even though the Pulsian stood a few inches taller than herself. Fang's slightly larger build that was no doubt the foundation of her incredible physical strength which was equal to, if not superior to Lightning's. Yet Lightning saw a softness in the other woman that would have most likely gone unnoticed to those who didn't look carefully enough.

And Lighting was always careful when it came to Fang. Perhaps more careful than she could afford to be or care to admit. This caution was for a number of reasons—reasons that could only be generalized with the fact that every one of them irked her immensely.

Lightning trusted Fang. If she were ever in a compromising position; whether it be pinned down, her back against a wall in combat or wracked from an unwanted torrent of emotion; there was no doubt in her mind that the Pulsian would help her. No, not help, **_save_**. This feeling was firmly imprinted in the back of her mind, semi-forcibly tucked away yet always there, ironically similar to the brand on her chest. Both imprints angered her albeit different reasons. Unlike the mark burned into her skin, reminding her of the terrible path she walked, Fang made her feel safe. Safe enough to let her carefully built guard down. And is was **_that_** fact—no matter how much she tried to ignore it—which scared her.

"See something you like, Sunshine?" The low, strangely-accented voice tickled Lightning's ears, jump-started her senses and knocked her out of her semi-daze. She realized she was staring directly into the Pulsian's eyes. _'Dark green' _was Lightning's first thought while she frantically collected herself, struggling to keep her broken guard hidden from the other woman. She cursed silently, she'd messed up, allowed herself to get caught up in the waves of thoughts and emotions that Fang so effortlessly seemed to cause in her. And now she would pay for it.

She met the sly, somewhat feral grin on the other woman's face with a scowl—or at least tried to but quickly found herself looking away in frustration. She was still attempting to calm the storm in her chest, which made it difficult to think of an appropriate response to the Pulsian's provocation. Countless times Fang had verbally attacked her as such: with teasing words and playful taunts. Never able to figure out how to successfully counter them, Lightning had chosen to either pretend she didn't hear them or that she didn't care—yet another thing that was getting increasingly harder to do recently.

No, this time she would not back down, she refused to lose, she would not let Fang have her way. This time she decided she would strike back. She allowed a small sigh of preparation—hopefully masked as exasperation—before locking her eyes on the beautiful Pulsian woman. She faced the swirling whirlwind she so often ran from and jumped, head first with everything she had, as she said the first thing that came to her flustered mind, hoping—praying it was enough.

* * *

A/N:  
I own either Fang nor Lightning.  
Nor to I claim excellence in terms of writing.  
I'm not a writer, but I gave it a try and decided it could be fun heheh ^^


	2. Tide Turner

**II – Tide Turner**

**

* * *

**There were many things about Lightning that intrigued Fang.

Fang had heard about the Cocoon native from Snow long before they'd met in person. It still amused her how Snow could have been so accurate in describing the soldier yet at the same time giving an incredibly misleading image. However, she had learned quickly that Lightning was far from easy to describe in words. And to depict the solder's effect on people—correction: on herself—was even harder.

At first Fang could never really decide how to feel when she found her mind wandering to thoughts on Lightning. Previously she'd been concerned with nothing but finding Vanille and completing their focus before the younger Pulsian met a fate worse than death. Fang was never one to deny her emotions so her determination to save Vanille and growing fascination of the Cocoon soldier was proving to be a rather intense tug of war playing out in her mind.

Thankfully her reunion with Vanille proved to calm the battle between attraction and guilt that raged within her. Fang slowly, almost cautiously—'almost' because Fang was also never one to look before she leapt—allowed herself to succumb to the still unexplainable desire to learn more about the unspoken leader of the group of l'Cie.

There wasn't a day that went by that she couldn't find something about Lightning she hadn't noticed before. Like how the soldier never had her right hand too far from her gun-blade. At first it amused Fang at how much the soldier seemed to rely on the weapon but amusement was soon replaced by admiration after seeing it wielded. No, Lightning didn't wield her weapon; she danced with it. The soldier's speed was unmatched, even by Fang but the Pulsian's eyes missed nothing as she watched Lightning and her gun-blade in the midst of a battle. It was an extension of her, part of her—beautiful, cold, sharp and unforgiving against those that threatened to harm her or those she cared about and had pledged to protect. That was when amusement and fascination grew into admiration and respect.

But respect, for Fang, came hand in hand with challenge. And she grew more and more fond of doing so with the soldier. Whether it be physical or verbal sparring, Fang couldn't get enough of seeing just how far she could push Lightning. Push her where? Fang didn't know, she didn't think that far ahead, she never had, and she damn well wasn't going to start now. She was having way too much fun.

Too much fun watching Lightning try to defeat her in a battle of wits which, Fang noticed, seemed much harder for the soldier than it was a battle of physical strength they engaged in every so often during casual sparring sessions. Fang reasoned that Lightning—being a woman of few words—was at a slight disadvantage. Though Fang would learn later that it wasn't a disadvantage, in any way, at all.

Lightning could convey more than anyone else could with all the words in the world just by using her eyes. The bright cerulean blue orbs that resembled crystals in the sunlight, were deceivingly soft, cool and almost detached. Their color masked the fire and wrath that could be channeled behind them when the soldier was angered. Fang was drawn to that fire; that zeal. That unyielding passion that—when Lightning so chose to release it—engulfed Fang and sent shivers through her soul. The feeling was intoxicating, addicting, so the Pulsian never hesitated to take the initiative to claim her fix when she needed.

She hadn't had her fix that day and now was a good a time as ever. The timing was perfect too since the group had decided to break and Fang had more of a view of Lightning than the back of her head and the occasional flick of the bright red cape that trailed grandly behind her. In fact, Fang noticed she had too good of a view. Lightning was staring straight at her. Her blue eyes were still as bright as ever, even while shaded by the high walls of the ravine that blocked the sun.

Carefully watching the blue crystals, Fang lashed out first. She taunted the soldier, referring to her lowered guard and careless stare. Fang decided to pull out all the stops and include the nickname she'd grown fond of—if only because of the sheer amount of aversion Lightning seemed to have of it. There was a spark that flickered behind blue glass that tickled at the edges of Fang's lip causing them to creep upwards into a challenging grin. The Pulsian warrior prepared for another strike while the light-haired woman looked away, already staggered it seemed.

But then the world stopped, the wind changed and the tides turned as the Cocoon soldier took hold of Fang's eyes with her own. The soldier's gaze pierced through Fang's body and soul and pulled hard at her heart strings, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Lightning may as well have been physically holding her in place; her small yet skilled hands locked around Fang's arms, rooting her in place, daring her to move. But Fang couldn't move. She felt the same intensity as always—if not more than usual. But what she saw behind Lightning's eyes wasn't the usual fire. There was something different, something much, much more heated.

"Maybe I do, Fang. Come a little closer and find out."

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**A/N:**  
I own neither Lightning nor Fang  
...but I can dream ...right?


	3. Double Dose

**III – Double Dose**

* * *

"Okay Fang," Vanille stood facing the taller Pulsian, pointing an accusing finger at her, "What did you do?"

"What? I didn't do anything!" Fang defended herself—a little too quickly. She paused before motioning towards the direction Lightning had headed, "You think sunshine is in a bad mood because of me?"

"You really need us to answer that, Fang?" Sazh answered the question with a question that was most likely on all the others' minds—a question that really didn't need an answer itself. Apparently Fang's status of being the expert at irritating the party leader had already been set in stone. Fang sighed in defeat as she pinched the bridge of her nose, confirming that there may have been an… incident that had happened the evening before.

"Faaaaang!" Vanille groaned, emphasizing her exasperation with an exaggerated stomp of her foot.

"Hey, I didn't actually do anything-!"

"Well you must have done something!" Vanille argued, "She's been in an foul mood all day."

Fang's frowned. While it was true she hadn't been the actual cause of the event that had happened the evening before, she certainly hadn't made the situation any better. Her actions had been the spark to ignite the fire that was Lightning's rage. While at the time it was a mere flame encased in crystal blue orbs, it had steadily grown to engulf the entire group. And while Fang had grown somewhat immune to the flames of Lighting's rage, the others weren't quite so lucky.

To put it simply: Fang had pissed Lightning off enough for the soldier to be taking it out on the entire party.

"Please Fang." Vanille gently tugged one the side of the taller woman's sari. There were very few things Fang could resist—and while most of them concerned the Cocoon soldier—the face Vanille had on just then was one of them. Giving another annoyed click of her tongue and rolling her eyes, she moved towards the corner Lighting had disappeared around. Her exasperation helped her ignore the twinkle of victory in the smaller Pulsian's eyes.

Fang continued down the trail until she could hear the sound of air being cut, slashed, hacked away at. Despite herself, she couldn't help the small smirk that played across her lips as she found Lightning dancing with her gunblade. No, not quite dancing like she usually did, Fang observed. The soldier was begging—pleading with the weapon to somehow release the anger that flowed wildly through her body, clawing at her insides, demanding to be released.

"Y'know, you should probably save some of that energy for next behemoth nest we wander into." Fang spoke finally, after a few moments of admiring the other woman. She bit back the urge to use her personal nickname for the soldier.

No response. Fang had expected as much. With one swift movement, she stepped into Lightning's path and stopped the gunblade with her staff. The force of the blow sent small shockwaves up the Pulsian's arm. Fang was too busy basking in the heated emotion flowing from the gunblade through the staff to anticipate the powerful thrust Lightning stepped into. It sent the Oerban warrior stumbling backwards. Though slightly caught off-guard, Fang recovered and held the other woman's eyes. Was she really still that upset?

"Go away, Fang." The tone of Lightning's voice answered Fang's silent question.

"Hey, I just came to talk-"

"I said. Go. Away."

"Come on now, don't be childish-"

Before Fang knew what hit her—literally—she found her eyes on the canyon wall to her right. Her left cheek burned as if it'd been hit point-blank with a Fira blast—no, more like the opposite. Something so incredibly cold, it burned worse than fire. She blinked, as if not quite believing what had just happened. She certainly hadn't expected it, that was for sure. If she weren't so shocked, she'd have laughed at the thought that Lightning never seemed to fail in surprising her.

"Childish?" Lightning spoke after what seemed like hours of silence. Fang almost entertained the notion that the slap she had just received had actually made her deaf, "I'm being childish?" The light-haired woman was not yelling—because Lightning never yelled. It didn't make her words any less effective in communicating her rage.

Fang moved her hand to her cheek, hesitating to touch it, as if afraid it'd get burned.

"I didn't think you'd take it so badly-"

"And how the damn hell was I supposed to take it, Fang?" And just like that, the fire went out. If not for the slight tightness in her jaw, Fang would have broke into a grin at the memory Lightning had unknowingly brought to the front of her mind. Biting her tongue, she gently cleared her throat, almost wincing at the harsh tingle in her cheek.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" She apologized, completely sincere in her words—well, as sincere as Fang could be in the moment. The Pulsian studied Lightning, waiting not for a verbal response, but one from the other woman's body. When you'd watched the soldier for as long and as closely as Fang had, you noticed even the smallest release of tension in her body.

"Break's over, we should get back to the others." Lightning turned, sheathing her gunblade and turning towards the way both of them had come. While Fang could still see flashes of frustration in the other woman's eyes, she concluded that she'd at least repaired some of the damage caused by her actions the evening before.

"-coming or not?" The soldier asked, the rage that had laced her words not moments before had been replaced with a thin sheet of irritation.

"Alright, alright sunshine," Fang said with a loud chuckle, "don't get your cape in a twist-"

Another burning sting, another set of stars and another fire ignited.

Whoever said lightning never struck the same place twice, was gravely mistaken.

* * *

**A/N:**  
(Unfortunately) I do not own any FF characters.  
If I did, these things would have been cutscenes =_=;;  
Oh, and as for what event was discussed during this one ...that chapter will be uploaded evetually _


	4. Divide and Conquer

**IV – Divide and Conquer**

**

* * *

**"Hey, sis," Snow's voice invaded Lightning's ears, causing her to scowl, "What's for dinner? I'm starving!"

"So go find something to eat, nobody's stopping you." Lightning replied curtly, "And stop calling me that." Her eyes ever left the gunblade in her lap or the small cloth she was running against it gently—as if to soothe it against the brashness of Snow's presence.

"But didn't someone already head out to find something?"

"If they did, they obviously aren't back yet. Because if they were, you'd be busy stuffing your mouth and we wouldn't be having this conversation." Lightning corrected herself silently; Snow was not the type of person to let a mouthful of food prevent him from at least attempting to converse with someone. The thought made her frown.

"Whoa whoa, chill chill, I know you're probably still stressed about us getting lost today," Snow said with a grin, displaying his somewhat impressive ability to be totally and completely oblivious, "We just got a little turned around after those Cei'th ruins—we'll get back on track. Don't worry so much, Sis."

"I said stop calling me that!" Lightning hissed, "I'm not your sister." The soldier was never really in the mood to deal with Snow in a one on one conversation but that night—for reasons unknown—she found it harder to keep her temper in check.

"Yet." Blue eyes darted to glare at Snow. The largest l'Cie in the group continued to grin sheepishly, "As soon as Serah wakes up and we tie the knot you aren't gonna have that excuse anymore."

"Damnit, Snow!" Lighting practically jumped to her feet, swinging her gunblade at the man, stopping just short of slashing his throat. Snow had stepped back in surprise, hands in the air, genuine fear in his eyes until he realized that the soldier had not followed through on her swing.

Lightning cursed under her breath. It angered her enough that Snow seemed to be as dense as a rock sometimes; but when he actually showed signs of intelligence—and worse, wit—it only proved to infuriate her more. She sighed and relaxed her arm ever so slightly but did not move her weapon from the daunting position against his neck.

"Y'know what irritates me the most Snow?" She said in a lower voice but no less menacing, "That I can't—for the life of me—figure out what in the hell Serah sees in you." Snow opened his mouth to speak but even he could tell that the cold steel against his neck was a warning that Lightning's statement was not an invitation for an explanation.

When the blade was finally pulled away, Snow swallowed thickly, rubbing his neck nervously. Lightning took a small pleasure in noticing this.

"I love her." Snow blurted out, as if he had felt the need to at least say something to keep the rage of Lightning at bay. It proved successful, much to Lightning's chagrin, as she felt herself relax slightly. Her body lost a bit of it's tension and her grip on her gunblade loosened. Lightning would sooner die than admit she not only believed Snow, but that no matter how hard she tried to deny it, she'd known that simple fact for a long time now. And worse, she'd accepted it. Her temper flared again at the acknowledgment of that thought.

"If you ever do anything to hurt her, Snow… I swear on my life…" She trailed off but she really didn't need to finish. Snow just smiled; half in understanding of Lightning's place as Serah's older sister and guardian, and half in smug victory.

"You know I wouldn't—although if you really did do something to me, you gotta admit Serah would probably be pretty pissed at you," Lightning's scowl deepened as Snow's grin widened, "That temper isn't limited to just you y'know..."

As Lightning was about to either snap at him again or snap his neck, she noticed movement from behind him. Fang was back from her hunt, half carrying, half dragging what looked like a small lobo behind her. For a few seconds, Snow left her mind completely; even though he was standing directly in front of her, half blocking her view of Fang with his giant form.

Regaining her focus, she turned her eyes back to Snow before raising an eyebrow.

"Y'know you're probably right."

"...I …I am?" Snow said, suddenly confused. Lightning reveled in this confusion before shrugging nonchalantly, slowly sheathing her gunblade.

"But there are plenty of ways I could deal with you without lifting a finger." She motioned with her chin over his shoulder toward Fang, who had almost reached the two of them by the fire.

"What? Like getting Fang to do your dirty work?" Snow asked jokingly with a laugh that Lightning had to bite her tongue to keep herself from knocking him out for, "As if you—of all people—could get Fang do anything-"

"Alright, here's your damn lobo cub," The Oerban warrior's voice cut into the conversation with timing Lightning could only thank the heavens for, "Y'know, you can only be so picky with what you're willing to eat here on Gran pulse, sunshine." Fang continued, dropping the slain beast at Snow's feet though her words and attention were directed towards Lightning alone.

Snow was eerily silent as Lightning studied his face, her lips forming a small smirk at the growing realization that danced across his face. The giddy feeling in her gut allowed her overlook the fact that the Pulsian woman had yet again decided to use the nickname she despised so much.

"Honestly, the things I do for you-" Fang was cut off when Vanille called her from the edge of the clearing where they'd set up camp. She rolled her eyes and shrugged before moving off to attend to her fellow Oerban.

Lightning resisted the urge to follow Fang's form with her eyes and kept them glued on Snow—who own eyes moved from Fang, to the meal-to-be at his feet, then to Lightning who once again arched an eyebrow at him.

"Any questions?"

Snow shook his head, his appetite suddenly significantly smaller.


	5. Stumbling Block

**V – Stumbling Block**

* * *

"How ya doin' back there, sunshine?" An amused voice echoed through a small cavern.

"Call me sunshine again," a softer voice began to answer, "I'll show you how I'm doing."

"Don't tempt me." The first voice laughed.

Fang and Lightning were scouting. The path that the group of l'Cie had been trekking had narrowed down into what appeared to be a tunnel through the cliff-side and Lightning had taken it upon herself to survey the upcoming area. Though her personality and—to a slightly lesser extent—her military training enabled her to hide it well, she was tired. Nobody but Fang noticed this. Partly due to her sharp eyes as a Pulsian warrior, but mostly to do with the fact that Fang had recently grown to notice just about anything and everything about the Cocoon soldier. Like she noticed that she no longer seemed to hear Lightning's quiet footsteps behind her.

"Sunshine?" Fang questioned, as if testing her fear that something was wrong. When she felt no contact between the Lightning's hand and her own cheek, her fear had been confirmed. Something was wrong. Genuine concern entered her voice as she looked over her shoulder for the other woman, "Light?" When met with nothing but the empty path she quickly backtracked around the sharp corner, "Lighting-?"

"I'm right here, Fang." The soldier' response was in her usual forced, somewhat detached tone but there was a slight difference in her voice that Fang almost didn't catch. Almost. The face that the younger woman remained as motionless as the rock that surrounded them did little to ease the encroaching unease that crept through the Pulsian's body.

"Well if you're done lounging around, we should probably get back to the others. Don't really fancy getting lost in this maze." Fang half-joked but silently acknowledged that the last part of her statement wasn't completely true. In fact, the Oerban warrior would have been more than happy getting lost—just so long as it meant more time alone with the other woman.

While there had been enough light during their way into the cavern, the sunlight that filtered through from the entrance and the occasional crack in the rock, was growing dimmer by the minute. Night was coming and it was getting increasingly harder for Fang to make out what little she could before.

While Fang's vision grew darker, she could still sense that Lightning had made no attempt to move. The waves of worry crashed against the warrior's body again but still, she gave the soldier the benefit of the doubt.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark, sunshine."

"Go to hell, Fang." The heated response enticed a smile in the Pulsian but was not enough to calm her concern.

"Already there, remember?" Another half-lie, "I'd rather go back to the others before it gets too dark."

"Nobody's stopping you Fang." Lightning stated, her voice softened significantly, "I'll be right behind you." Fang frowned at the growing tone of what almost sounded like weakness in the other woman's voice. And Lightning never showed any weakness. Fang allowed her anxiety to show verbally, choosing to speak in a more serious tone.

"Ya know, you have the terrible habit of ignorin' your limits-"

"And you're the last person I want to hear that from." Lightning retorted forcefully—too forcefully. Fang wasn't buying it. The soldier's voice was off and she couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Alright, now this is getting ridiculous," Fang channeled a Fira cast in her hand, illuminating the small space in an orange glow, "Why do you always have to… be… so…" The Pulsian trailed off as her eyes adjusted to the new light. The second half of her sentence was skittered from her mind, similar to what the darkness had done in reaction to her ignited magic.

Fang took in the scene before her slowly. The Cocoon soldier stood in a slightly slouched position against the rock wall; a tension in her body that gave the impression that any movement on her part would bring the entire mountain down on top of them. And though hard to see with the flickering light, a frustrated flush crept across her cheeks. It really did seem as if she were trying to hold the entire mountain up, Fang observed, still slightly bewildered at the sight. It was only a few moments later she had realized it was the complete opposite. The mountain was holding the soldier.

Fang's eyes had traveled from Lightning's face, up and down her body, then along the length of the bright red cape that ended in tangle amongst a mesh of root and rock jutting out of the cavern wall. With every second of silence, Lighting's face grew more and more to match the color of the piece of fabric that had rendered her unable to move.

For the Pulsian, the silence was deafening as she struggled to find her voice—a very rare situation to find herself in—even when it concerned Lightning. Fang found herself in a daze. She grew unsure of her reality, wondering if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming due to the sheer improbability—no, impossibility of what had been presented before her. Never could Fang have imagined that the almighty leader of the rebel l'Cie—the powerful and proud Cocoon soldier, could have been caught. By her damn cape no less.

The incomplete Fira cast fluttered out and the flickering glow that had filled the small space was replaced by the unexpectedly hysterical laughter resonating from the Pulsian's body and soul.

* * *

**A/N: **  
I own nothing from FFXIII  
I'd seen waaaay too many pictures illustrating some sort of incident involving Light's cape _  
I had to write about it...


	6. Super Soldier

**VI – Super Soldier

* * *

**

"Oy! Over here, ugly!" Fang yelled, taunting the beast that howled a few feet in front of her. The creature turned to her with glowing red eyes, snarling and salivating at the thought that she had dared challenged it. There were few that would willing face such a beast head on—even fewer that dared taunt it with a grin like the one the Oerban warrior standing before it.

The beast roared, rearing back on its hind legs, morphing into a more humanoid form. Its muscles strained with the raw power that was pumping through them. Eventually it stood at full height, grasping a whirling weapon half it's size. It towered over the Pulsian woman, somewhat mimicking her and assuming the same combat-ready position. The two beings of Pulse faced each other. Both were poised and prepared to strike yet were waiting for the other to attempt it first. It was hunter versus prey.

But which was which? From an observer's point of view it was hard to tell. For Fang it was clear as the sky above her: She was the hunter and the enormous behemoth king that loomed over her was the prey—her prey. The intensity that emanated from her eyes and the tautness visible in every muscle of her body was not from fear but from anticipation. The warrior was waiting, watching for the slightest change in her opponent's stance, ready to react accordingly.

A feral grin reappeared on the Pulsian's face as she noticed her opponent's weight shift to its back leg. Anyone who had any less experience in battle would have missed it. The creature was readying for a strike. Fang gripped her staff and watched as the behemoth king swung its massive saw-blade and brought it down on her. Anticipating the force of the blow, Fang took up a Steelguard stance to reinforce her defense as she blocked the attack. While she was confident in her battle-prowess, there was no denying that her opponent had incredible power. The Oerban warrior grunted as she felt her feet sink into the ground beneath her as saw-blade and staff collided.

"Aw c'mon! S'that all ya got?" Fang huffed, sidestepping. She swiped aside the massive saw-blade, ignoring it as it crashed into the ground, burying itself deep, "I've had chocobo chicks hit harder!"

As if gravely insulted by it's monstrous strength being compared to a critter the size of its eyeball, the behemoth king bellowed in frustration. It gathered both its physical and magical strength for another attack. Its opponent stood smiling, pleased that the creature had let its rage consume itself—clouding its judgment—so soon.

Fang readied herself for another onslaught of bestial rage, choosing this time to take up a Mediguard stance. She knew that though she may have succeeded in weakening her opponent's senses, the next attack would not be as easy to defend against. Her signature grin masked the gritting of teeth and the tension of muscles fortified by magic summoned by the cursed gift given to her by a god of Pulse.

But the blow never came. Instead it was replaced by a howl of unexpected pain. The saw-blade indeed swung out but it was far from on target. It sliced into the ground a few feet away from the warrior who, while keeping her guard and adjusting her position, looked on confused.

The beast growled, its jaws snapping wildly as it threw its head back and whirled around clawing at its back. Fang couldn't help dropping her guard as the cause of the unforeseen action came into her view. With her strawberry blonde hair and crimson half-cape, half standing atop the huge beast was none other than Lightning. The Cocoon soldier's gunblade was buried deep in the creature's back, serving as the only hold her had to steady herself while her target thrashed around violently.

"You shouldn't play with your food." Lightning's voice tickled Fang's ears—something she had yet to get use to despite the number of times it'd occurred. The Pulsian warrior watched as the soldier deftly pushed against the behemoth king's back, extracting her gunblade and landing a perfect back flip a few feet away.

"Ya can't blame me for wanting to have a little fun, Sunshine." Fang said, preparing her guard again as she noticed the beast regaining its stance out of the corner of her eye. She found it hard however; to keep her gaze off the other woman who whipped her gunblade back, discarding the thick blood that coated it, in one movement.

"Who says I was talking to you?" Lightning added with the faintest of smile. Fang could barely let out the surprised chuckle that rose in her throat, she was too focused to imprint the soldier's lips in her mind. But the Pulsian proved to be too slow. As swiftly as she had entered the battle, Lightning folded the gunblade and let loose an array of bullets into the behemoth king's neck. Earning a staggered roar, the soldier deftly unfolded her weapon and ran at him, no doubt to continue what she'd started.

Fang was too engrossed in watching the other woman she almost didn't notice the staggered beast tighten its grip on the saw-blade, "Ooooh, no ya don't!" She jumped at it, impaling her staff in the ground, locking the saw-blade in place against the ground. She felt the somewhat desperate tugs of the behemoth king but grasped her staff tightly, denying the creature its weapon.

Another bellowing roar as the beast's entire right side had been left open for the unrelenting attacks from the ravager who had stepped into the battle moments before. Fang could barely see Lightning, she was moving so fast. Flashes of red, silver and pink darted from left, right, above and below the behemoth king. Each precisely calculated blow earned another roar from the massive creature. While undisputed in her greater strength between the two of them, the Oerban warrior could only stare in awe and wonder at the soldier's speed. Over a dozen blows to her target in the span of mere seconds, Lightning was like an army of one when focused enough.

With one last slash to the behemoth king's neck, Fang felt the beast's grip on the saw-blade loosen, and its enormous body fall to the ground. It no longer howled but snarled through ragged breaths. Judging that its weapon was no longer a threat, Fang pulled her staff from the ground and made her way around the dying creature. Lightning came into view just as the soldier folded her gunblade and skillfully holstered it with a grace that only she could pull off. Not a single muscle in Lightning's body gave away that she'd just done what many would have considered impossible. The soldier had a way of seeming totally and completely relaxed without lowering her guard.

"You never fail to impress, Sunshine." Fang found herself saying instead of voicing the admiration and respect that filled her mind after watching the other woman fight. She decided to go with it and grinned as Lightning jerked her head toward her, eyes glowering at the repeated use of the Pulsian's nickname for her. Fang would never grow tired of the fact that with one word she could earn a glare from the soldier, that's intensity was matched only by the one she wore while in the heat of battle.

On occasion, Fang couldn't tell the two apart, having been able to induce both at the same time during intense sparring sessions in the past. This proved to be a similar occasion—though with more dire consequences, for when she realized, it was too late. The Pulsian barely registered Lightning yelling a warning, her gunblade being re-drawn and that her heated gaze was not directed at her but past her, before it hit her. Even if Fang did have Lightning's speed, she wouldn't have had a chance to react before she couldn't see, feel nor hear anything. Nothing but darkness; an indescribably intense burning sensation flooding across her back; and the sound of tearing flesh masked by a scream that she found hard to believe resonated from Lightning.

"FANG!"

* * *

**A/N:**  
Nothing from **_FFXIII_** is mine.  
Was **Army of One** spamming for quite a while after I finally realized how to use it =_=;;; So pretty!  
Light distracts Fang, bad things happen =[


	7. Discretion

**VII - Discretion

* * *

**

"It is just me, or are they acting weird?" Hope spoke up after the long moment silence marking the departure of Cocoon soldier and the Oerban warrior who followed soon after. The remaining l'Cie had stayed behind to finish their evening meals.

"Hmm? Different how?" Snow asked, his mouth full of…well, one could only guess with his eating habits.

"I agree with the kid," Sazh said, holding his plate up to his head, "Something's different." Anyone who hadn't been traveling with the pilot would have thought the gesture incredibly odd; but the other l'Cie barely took little notice of the bright yellow mesh of feathers that popped out of his hair. The tiny chocobo chick hopped onto the plate and into the food. It began chirping happily as it feasted hungrily.

"Do you think Fang did something again?" Hope wondered aloud.

"When does Fang ever NOT do something?" Sazh asked with a sight neither expecting nor receiving an answer other than a small giggle from a certain Pulsian saboteur—though so restrained, it went unnoticed by him. He picked at the food on his plate that wasn't being munched on by his small yellow companion.

"Wait, what did Fang do?" Snow asked, reaching for some of the unfinished food on hope's plate, "You gonna finish that?" Hope didn't get a chance to answer before Snow had stuffed the piece of food in question, into his mouth.

Though he didn't see her roll her eyes at the man helping himself to seconds, Sazh noticed Vanille sitting across the campfire, a playful smile on her face. She'd already finished her meal and was playing with the tuft of wool she'd plucked from a rather large sheep earlier in the day—for a reason he'd yet to discover. But the topic at hand interested him more. He wasn't sure if it was the light from the fire or something else but something danced in the small Pulsian's eyes that he couldn't quite identify.

"Vanille, what do you think?" He tried directing the conversation towards her, hoping to learn whatever she hinted to be hiding.

"Me? Think about what?" Vanille's voice conveyed slight surprise and innocent confusion to the question but Sazh could not overlook the twinkle in her eye that said otherwise. He knew Vanille's personality made it easy for her fool both others and herself but her eyes—no matter how hard she tried not to—spoke the truth, without exception.

"Yeah, you know Fang really well!" Hope decided to join Sazh in the hunt for answers, "Has she said anything to you?"

Vanille stood from her position on the small rock she was seated on and put away the tuft of wool she had been playing with. She stretched before putting a finger to her chin—something she did quite often when thinking. After a few moments, she shrugged and gave her signature smile before shaking her head.

"Nope, nothing out of the ordinary."

"What's out of the ordinary?" Snow's voice pushed its way into the conversation. His eyes too focused on the chocobo chick still pecking at its meal, he failed to notice the 3 stares of slight vexation at his inability to follow the conversation.

"Maybe Light isn't feeling well?" Hope suggested after another moment of silence.

"What, and Fang went to help her feel better?" Sazh suggested sarcastically, "Last time I checked, Fang wasn't exactly the medic type; plus the entire idea that Fang of all people, would rush to take care of Lightning isn't exactly the easiest situation to picture." Hope nodded slowly, acknowledging the comical truth to Sazh's words, "And besides, Lightning's too proud to accept help from anyone, least of all Fang. It's like saying a chocobo would willingly play tag with a behemoth king."

"Whoa, chocobo's a what?" Snow's voice pierced the conversation yet again.

"Snow!" Hope laughed, noticing the man suspiciously eyeing the small creature on the plate he was now holding. Vanille let out a giggle as Sazh rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the Pulsian and the topic at hand. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. She responded with a tilt of her head coupled with a questioning stare.

"Okay," Sazh threw his hands up in defeat, turning away, "I give up."

"Is it really that hard to believe they're getting along?" Vanille asked, a strange tone in her voice that almost sounded like sadness. Sazh and Hope glanced at each other before turning to Vanille, their faces answering before their voices.

"A little…" Hope answered first. He scratched his head, "I mean they're kinda total opposites, y'know?"

"Kinda?" Sazh cut in, "We're talking about the two Alphas of this ragtag pack we've got going here." He motioned between them.

"Well, what about Snow?" Vanille asked with a motion towards the l'Cie in question. Sazh paused and, along with Hope and Vanille, threw a glance over at Snow who—rather impressively—was presently proving that wrestling with a chocobo chick was entirely possible. Upon turning back to each other, Vanille reluctantly registered her question void.

"Maybe they went to spar?" Hope's attention had returned to the paused conversation.

"A sparring session?" Sazh thought about it doubtfully, "They don't usually go off and disappear to spar, and there's plenty of space around here." He motioned to the open area around them, "Besides, it's dark already. Last I checked l'Cie powers didn't include night vision."

"Wait, we have night vision?"

"Snow!" The three other l'Cie groaned at once.

"What?" The largest of the group defended himself, "I'm just trying to eat—despite this little terror trying to peck my eyes out-" he motioned to the chocobo chick who was chirping in what seemed to either be amusement or annoyance—perhaps both. "-And you guys are talking about the differences between chocobos and behemoth kings; and seeing in the dark; and why Fang and Sis-"

"I'm not your sister." A calm, cold voice cut Snow off mid rant. All eyes turned to see none other than the two 'Alpha' l'Cie in question walking back into camp, quizzical looks on their faces.

"Sis!" Snow exclaimed, tossing his hands in the air again, "We were just talking about-"

"About how it's getting dark and how we should probably… all get some sleep!" Snow got cut off yet again, this time by Hope who grinned sheepishly at him when he gave him a look.

"But it's barely dark-" Snow noted, successfully distracted from his previous attempt to inform the soldier and warrior of the gossip concerning them, that had take place just moments before.

"Right, but it's been a long day," Sazh added, clearing his throat and stretching before moving to collect the chocobo chick that was hanging off Snow's beanie, "No doubt it'll be the same tomorrow." He turned to Lightning and Fang briefly before motioning over his shoulder, "I'll take first shift."

As Sazh turned to the higher ground, Hope earned a perplexed look and raised eyebrow from Lightning. The teenager grinned sheepishly before quickly looking away, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. When the soldier's gaze shifted to Vanille, who was suspiciously silent during the awkward exchanges, she caught a small sparkle in the smaller Pulsian's eyes. It was only for a second before the girl moved to get comfortable on the other side of the campfire.

Lightning threw a glance over at Fang who looked equally puzzled albeit slightly more amused than she was. The Pulsian leaned over towards Lightning, her eyes not leaving the dispersing group of fellow l'Cie in front of them.

"Is it just me, or are they acting weird?"

* * *

**A/N:**  
I own nothing from _**FFXIII**_.  
No idea what I'm doing anymore... or where these things are headed =_=;;;


	8. Undermine

**VIII – Undermine**

* * *

"Are you still upset, Sunshine? Look, nobody got hurt and we probably covered more ground than we would have otherwise, on foot."

"Covered more ground where, Fang? Do we even know what this place is?"

More of less an hour ago, the group of l'Cie that had been trekking through a labyrinth of tunnels that Vanille had explained was the work of a fal'Cie. While making their way through the subterranean maze, every so often the walls shook and the ground trembled signaling the close proximity of the Pulse fal'Cie burrowing nearby. Lightning, who had grown overcautious as far as any fal'Cie were concerned, had constantly been on edge. Though the Pulse natives in the group assured them the burrowing being was pretty much harmless, Lightning was extremely adverse to the idea of been trapped underground with something large enough to carve the very tunnels they were walking through.

Eventually, they'd come to what had seemed like a dead end until the very fal'Cie they'd hoped to avoid pretty much became their only path forward.

"You want us to ride that thing?" Lighting had protested, pointing at the huge hissing sphere that pulsed with an energy and intensity that couldn't have belonged to anything other than that of a fa'Cie, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Come on, Sunshine," the taller Pulsian had been the voice of the other side of the argument, "There aren't really any other alternatives, and it'd travel faster in minutes than we could do in hours—days even!"

"How do we know it won't kill us all as soon as we get anywhere near-" Lightning was cut off as Fang sauntered over to the fal'Cie in question and touched her hand to its huge form. The ex-sergeant clenched her fists and jaw as Fang's signature smirk appeared on her lips.

"Atomos is bound to the duty of carving these tunnels." The Oerban woman stated, her face showing a seriousness that only Lightning managed to catch, "It's just a little Pulsian off-road experience." Within a split second, the seriousness disappeared as Fang pat the metal under her hand., "The only thing we'll have to worry about it somebody getting a little motion-sickness."

"Well, I'm not exactly a big fal'Cie fan," Sazh decided to speak up, "But if its our only way out…"

"And the other robots seemed to think so too." Snow added, motioning to the large pile of juggernaut machines that were keeping Atomos stalled—or at least trying to. The fal'Cie was already starting to grind its gears again, preparing to continue with it's purpose.

"Well if we're gonna do this, we'd better do it now." Fang had noticed—and felt—the stirring of the Pulse fal'Cie.

"Hold on-!" Lightning was still against the idea.

"Alright!" Snow fist-pumped and jumped towards the opening in the giant being near where Fang was standing, "Let's ride!"

"We can't just-"

"Ugh… something tells me this is gonna be far from a smooth ride…" Sazh muttered under his breath. The chocobo chick had popped out of his hair and chirped it's own bewildered opinion on the situation before disappearing again.

"Oooh, this'll be fun!" Vanille said excitedly, skipping after the others.

"But-!"

"We have to keep going," Hope said quietly from his place near her, "If this is the only way forward, we'll just have to go with it." He turned to her and gave a small smile before joining the others who were stepping into the pulsing entity that was beginning to move.

Lightning herself, hadn't moved. She was in a semi-daze. Was this really happening? Was there really no other way out? Were they really going to ride a fal'Cie? Did Fang just persuade everyone to do so? Lightning's lips formed a frown when she acknowledged the last thought. She caught emerald eyes that twinkled with silent victory. Clicking her tongue, the soldier steeled her nerves and approached the Pulsian woman who motioned to the opening the others had slipped through.

"After you, Sunshine."

Lightning found herself too focused on bracing herself before stepping on board the massive fal'Cie to spare energy to punch Fang's lights out.

More or less a hour later, the group had de-boarded Atomos—all alive, though perhaps a few with lost lunches. It had been far from a smooth ride but no one had gotten hurt. And now here they were, standing in what looked like an subterranean water system. The group was taking a few moments to regain their bearings. Spending as long as they did in a windowless compartment, not really knowing which way was up, proved to be harder than an Eidolon encounter for some of the l'Cie.

Lightning, relatively unaffected by the rough ride, had broken away from the group. Though she couldn't have guessed where they'd end up, the area they'd arrived at was beautiful. While the array of caves still seemed to be within the mountain, sunlight streamed through cracks above them. The beams of light danced on the water, reflecting off it to paint the rock walls with a soft, shimmering glow. The air was fresh and a light mist from the small waterfalls that were spread throughout the cavern tickled her skin. The sound of flowing water proved unusually calming to the storm in Lightning's soul.

Until she heard the soft padding footsteps approaching from behind her. Of course, Fang had followed her. Lightning half-expected her to. The other half-wanted -wait... what?

"Are you still upset, Sunshine?" Fang asked in a half-groan, breaking Lightning's chain of thought, "Look, nobody got hurt and we probably covered more ground than we would have otherwise, on foot."

"Covered more ground where, Fang?" Lightning gave the taller woman an icy glare, "Do we even know what this place is?" She motioned to the surrounding beauty.

"Sulyya Springs." Fang replied almost immediately, "It's a little more lush than I remember… and definitely bigger, but it's Sulyya Springs alright. Which means we're only a hop, skip and jump away from Oerba." Lightning turned to glance at the Pulsian and was taken slightly aback. The woman had a smile on her—not a grin or smirk, but a smile. All the beauty that lay spread before them faded away as Lightning's gaze focused on Fang's lips.

"So? Glad you hopped on that wagon?" Voice from said lips snapped her back to reality. Lightning turned away, hiding what felt like a blush in her cheeks. The ex-sergeant didn't answer. She let the sound of the surrounding water fill the silence, waiting for it's calming effect on her—apparently it didn't work when it came to Fang. How it irked the soldier so; the fact Fang could stir up so much emotion in her. But the heated frustration the Pulsian induced also somewhat helped Lightning deal with her.

The soldier drew in a deep breath, forcibly calming herself and turning back to Fang with a glare that may as well have turned the entirety of the springs to ice. The Oerban warrior only seemed to grin wider.

"Feeling better then, are we, Sunshine?" Fang more stated than asked. Lightning didn't answer as she stepped towards her. The Pulsian's hand fell from her hip and the grin fell from her face as the Lightning stopped just barely a foot away from her, staring hard into her eyes—Cerulean blue dueling with emerald green.

It was Fang's turn to experience waves of emotion she could only hope to describe. It only intensified when Lighting's hand came up to rest on her chest, just below her neck. True to her name, the contact sent small shocks through Fang's body. Fang's mind raced as fast as her heart as she tried to comprehend the current situation. Was this really happening? Was she dreaming?

Lightning answered the questions for her as Fang felt sudden pressure on her chest before she felt her balance topple; before she felt her footing fail; before the ground disappeared from beneath her feet; and her body engulfed by the icy coldness of the water that broke her fall. Did she just-? Reflexes kicking in, Fang surfaced to get her head above water and air in her lungs. Still in shock, she looked up at Lightning, whose eyes sparkled with the light fluttering around the cavern. She noticed the playful grin that danced on the soldiers lips and suddenly the water didn't seem so cold.

"Actually yeah," Lightning broke the semi-stunned silence, "I think I'm feeling much better."

* * *

**A/N:**  
EVIL DEMON FROG FIENDS FROM HELL!  
Ahem, sorry.

Ahhh, it's fun writing about Fang and Light-particularly when Light gets the opportunity to one-up Fang ^^  
I've started drawing them! Wewt! Unfortunately that means an excuse not to write _  
But writing's fun so I probably won't stop... for long... o_0


	9. Lifeguard

**IX - Lifeguard

* * *

**

"That was a pretty ridiculous stunt you pulled back there, Sunshine." Lightning tried not to jump at the sound of the thickly accented voice of the Oerban walking towards her, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Lightning immediately averted her eyes as Fang drew nearer. She'd never admit it aloud but she had been avoiding the Gran Pulsian. It was no longer just ignoring out of anger and frustration towards the teasing and flirting. Recently, it had been avoidance out of fear. Fear and regret.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Fang." The soldier answered coldly but a little too quickly. She cursed at the unwanted unease that engulfed her as she pushed off the tree and began to move away. She'd barely gotten three steps when she felt Fang grasp her arm in a gentle but firm grip.

"The hell you don't, Light." Lightning wasn't sure if it was the warrior's tone or the fact that she had used her name over her nickname—maybe it was both—but something in Fang's statement stopped her from reflexively yanking her arm away. And despite herself, shivers ran up and down her arm from the contact.

"Let go of me." Was all Lightning managed to get out without her voice cracking. Yet couldn't will herself to pull away from the other woman on her own.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." Came Fang's reply, followed by the loosening of her grip, "Why are you acting so reckless? Taking on a zirnitra on your own? Without waiting for the rest of us?" Lightning grit her teeth. How dare she say something like that! But the genuine concern in Fang's voice only proved to amplify the distress she felt inside. Why did the Gran Pulsian have to be serious at the most inconvenient times?

"I said. Let go." Forcing movement, Lightning pulled her arm away but remained with her back more or less facing Fang.

Taking another step, the pinkette felt Fang's hand grasp her shoulder to stop her but this time Lightning did not resist her reflexes. She whirled around, jerking away and swung a fist out at the other woman. It barely had any force to it and wasn't intended as an actual attack so Fang easily caught it but in doing so, a pained wince crossed her face. It was only for a second but Lighting caught it and was immediately slammed by a wave of guilt. As if she'd been burned, the soldier yanked her arm back.

It'd barely been a day since Fang had gotten injured. No, _'gotten injured'_ was an understatement of drastic proportions. Fang had almost died. She had almost died and Lightning could do nothing but watch.

_Blood. There was so much blood. Lightning felt the sticky liquid dripping down her arms and soaking her coat as she carried a heavily injured Fang towards camp. Stumbling over roots and ignoring the thorned plants that walled the path she was treading frantically, Lightning's only thought, only mission—only hope—was to get Fang to camp for healing._

_The massive laceration that spanned almost the entirety of the warrior's back proved to be too much for her magic. Her Cura spells had been too weak. Her attempts to mend it herself proved futile as Fang lost more and more blood, drawing nearer and nearer to death. Finally judging that it were pointless for her to try and continue, she picked Fang's limp body up off the ground and ran. She ran as hard and as fast as she could._

_"VANILLE! HOPE!" Lightning almost didn't recognize the sound of her own voice as she yelled, "HELP!"_

_"Light, what-oh my god!"_

_"What happened?"_

_"FANG!"_

_"She needs healing." Lightning ignored all questions, laying the gravely injured warrior on her side near the middle of camp, "She's dying…" The two words seemed foreign to Lighting as they came out of her mouth. As if they were never meant to be used in relation to Fang._

_"Alright, Light," She barely registered Hope's voice, "We're on it, but-"_

_"What are you doing?" The soldier questioned almost frantically, her voice more accusing and angry than she intended it to be, "Heal her!"_

_"Light," Snow's voice this time, "Light, you need to let go." Lighting fought the sudden urge to slam her fist into the larger man's face. Instead she glared at him. What was he talking about, letting go? She's still-_

_"Light!" Vanille practically screamed, causing Lightning—along with the other l'Cie—to jump, "You need to let go of her," The smaller Oerban's voice grew softer, "Hope and I can't reach her wound." Lightning looked down to see one of her arms still wrapped around Fang's shoulders. She was still cradling the Gran Pulsian warrior._

_After a moment of stunned silence, Lightning immediately she relaxed her arm and let Vanille lay Fang's head down on the ground. She fell backwards, feeling Snow—or perhaps it was Sazh—somebody helped her to her feet as she clambered away, allowing Hope and Vanille to take up her previous position._

_Though she was perfectly unharmed, save for the minor scratches and scrapes she'd received from the unforgiving foliage on her way to camp, she felt incapable, inept—helpless. The look of pained concern and anxiety on Vanille's face as she began to heal proved too much for Lighting. The soldier turned away, shaking from remorse, clenching her fists, gritting her teeth, willing tears of hopelessness not to fall._

"This is because of what happened, isn't it?" Fang's voice snapped Lighting back to the present. Caught slightly off-guard, the pinkette cleared her throat, still avoiding eye-contact with the Oerban, "What happened wasn't your fault-."

"You think I don't know that?" Lightning's indignant temper flared suddenly "It was your own stupidity that got you hurt." Finding herself lost in midnight green eyes, filled with slight shock and surprise, Lighting bit back her temper and tore her gaze away again. She cursed Fang's ability to stir up such a storm in her mind, body and soul.

"I guess you're right, eh?" Came a response in a teasing tone, "Well, better me than you, yeah?" There was a long moment of deafening silence, "…Light-"

"You almost died, Fang." Lighting interrupted again before she could stop herself, "You almost died, with no help from me." At this point she was too emotionally tired to hold back the pain in her voice or the single tear that escaped her and trailed down her cheek, "I couldn't save you."

"You're not the only one who wants to be able to save ones they care about, y'know." Fang's voice was accompanied by a small touch to Lightning's cheek, lingering long enough to brush away the tear before it was gone, "You're not the only one who wants to protect; to not make anyone hurt, anxious or sad." Lightning finally looked up into Fang's eyes. There was none of the usual playful sparkle. No mischievous charm or teasing glint. There was nothing but truth and understanding beneath the dark pools of green.

"I'm sorry I put you through that, Light." Fang's voice matched her eyes. Lightning felt a huge heaviness leave her body and a slight flutter in her chest, "So please, don't act like you want to hurt yourself anymore." Lighting swallowed thickly at the tone of trepidation in Fang's voice. She found herself gazing into a sea of midnight green again as the Oerban added in an even softer voice, "Don't run from me anymore."

Lightning could do nothing but nod.

* * *

**A/N:**

ZOMG! An update!  
And good lord, these things are getting incredibly long =_=;;;  
I have this thing... about BIG, GIANT, walls of text  
They scare me sometimes.  
...Like ...I don't want to bore people? Or something? I dunno

Also... this is probably related to VI...  
I say probably because I really have no idea what I'm doing anymore o_0


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note

* * *

**

Don't worry, I'm not writing this to inform anyone about any postponement, haitus or—god-forbid—discontinuation of _'Red vs Blue'_. No I just needed to clear something up.

I've received a couple of different reviews/comments from readers regarding the chapters of this story and how they appear to be linked but out of order.

This was not entirely intentional. The specific occurrences in each individual part were not meant to be chapters in a single piece of fanfiction. Each chapter was supposed to be an individual one-shot (with the exception of_** I**_ and_** II**_). _'Red vs Blue'_ is actually a project I started on deviantART called_ 'Paradigm Project'_—the general aim of which was to write about stories about Light and Fang that matched the title of Paradigm of random choosing. Think of it as like a 20 or 50-word challenge fic but instead of words, I used paradigms. I only compiled them into one story here to play it safe in terms of the general uploading rules of FF . net

But back to my point. Again with the exception of **_I_** and_** II**_, I wrote these with every intention for each one to be able to stand alone as a one-shot. Yes, obviously I used certain incidents as ideas to help me write others but have tried to be careful as to not directly crossover certain chapters.

For example: In part_** III**_ where Light and Fang argue over something that had happened the previous evening. Yes, it could very well have been what happened in part_** V**_ but I made sure not to directly refer to Light's cape getting caught on a rock. It could also have been another incident completely. Also—though with a little more difficulty due to the same placement of Fang's sustained injury—the same could be applied about parts _**VI**_ and _**IX.**_

So, what I'm trying to say is that I duly apologize for the confusion. I do want to make anything I write enjoyable for everyone who does me the honor of reading it. However, I will not be changing the order of the chapters. I will not be changing the style of writing nor will I be planning in future to write/upload in a more… chronologically-sound order. I'm no brilliant author; I'm too much of an amateur—and more specifically too lazy to think that far ahead. I write what I feel like writing, when I feel like writing it.

Please don't get me wrong, I do feel terribad for any confusion. I hope this explanation makes up for it. If not, I will attempt to keep you all reading and reviewing by bribing you with a nice warm batch of cookies. And who doesn't like warm cookies?

**=]**


	11. Coordination

**X - Coordination

* * *

**

"Fang, wait-"

"C'mon Sunshine, it ain't gonna hurt, I promise." Fang's voice sent ripples of electricity through Lightning—not unlike her fingers that trailed down the pinkette's arm, "I'll be gentle."

"Why do you have to be so-" Lightning cut herself off, gritting her teeth to prevent the yelp from escaping her lips when she felt Fang's breath tickle her ear. The Gran Pulsian had moved to stand behind her—**_close_** behind her.

"Now just relax, follow my lead." Fang's touch sent flashes of fire across Lightning's skin as she gently grasped the soldier's hands with her own. It certainly didn't help things when the taller woman stepped into her, pressing just about every powerfully toned inched of her body against Lighting's back, "Still too tense, Sunshine…"

At the brush of Fang's lips against her ear, Lightning jolted away. She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding and refused to turn around, feeling the intense heat under her cheeks. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How and why she allowed herself to get caught in this situation…

"Light-"

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." The pinkette's voice cracked ever so slightly as she attempted to recover from the intense proximity of the other woman, "No reason to rush it-"

"Light, it's gonna happen sooner or later," the Gran Pulsian's slickly accented voice made it hard for Lighting to focus on calming herself, "you and I both know it is, so why avoid it?"

"But the others-"

"What _about _the others?" Fang sighed—almost exasperatedly, "They pretty much know already, you're the only one that seems to have a problem-"

"I don't have a problem with it!" The smaller woman interrupted a little too defensively, a little too fast, with just a pang of embarrassed desperation, "I just… I'm not… ready." Lighting immediately regret allowing the honest words to slip as she was met with a hearty chuckle.

"The great Lightning Farron? Not ready? For something like this?" The soldier's defenses kicked back in for a moment as she flashed a glare. The frustrated expression proved useless in warning the warrior of her teasing and instead only made the sly smirk grow wider, "That's a first."

"Y'know what, forget this." Lighting huffed and turned to walk away. She screamed silently at her resignation but couldn't deal with the Oerban woman just then. Fang had the most annoying ability to throw Lightning completely off guard. And if that wasn't enough, the Gran Pulsian showed little hesitation in conveying her amusement.

"Oooooh no ya don't, Sunshine." A firm, yet gentle, grip on her wrist halted both Lightning's thoughts of and escape from frustration, "I'm not letting you run away this time." The soldier's half-hearted struggle to get away proved futile as the raven-haired woman pulled her in again.

"So now I don't have a choice." The pinkette grumbled, her mind already glazing over, her body melting into Fang's—against her will...mostly.

"You came to me, remember?" Another warm whisper of a breath near Lightning's ear, "Not that I'm complaining."

Lightning couldn't deny the truth. It had been her who'd sought out Fang—approached her and in turn gotten herself stuck in the deep end of this entire mess of a situation. But what irked her even more was that she didn't really regret it. It irked her to no end that she want it—needed it.

"Now, c'mon." The Oerban's accented voice mischievously echoed in her ear. The hands on her wrists sent shivers skipping through her body. Dark wild locks tickled the back of her neck, "Trust me." And Lighting did. There wasn't really a need for Fang to say it aloud. The Gran Pulsian had gained her trust a long time ago—amongst… other things Lightning rarely let show.

"Fine." The pinkette huffed with one last bit of stubbornness before relaxing her muscles, her body telling Fang she would no longer fight for control—for now. The Oerban wasn't entirely un-shocked.

"Well, well," the taller woman's voice gave away her grin, "that's a first too." While somewhat surprised, the warrior understood Lightning's body language completely, "A lotta _'firsts'_ today, eh?"

"We gonna do this, or what?" Lightning retorted—though the words came out sounded almost desperate.

"And now she can't wait to get on." Fang teased with a light laugh, "Alright Sunshine, shift your legs a little." Lightning bit her lip hard to suppress the small sound that leaped up her throat at the contact between the both their bare legs as Fang adjusted her stance. One of the warrior's hands had found its way to rest on her hip while the other still gripped her wrist. It didn't remain there for long as it loosened and dropped, leaving Lightning to grab for anything she could to steady herself.

The Gran Pulsian's free hand returned to touch her, this time sliding down her side, leaving a trail of tingles in it's wake. Lightning could not stop the quiver that no doubt Fang had felt. The warrior remained silent, however, as her hand swept around to the small of the pinkette's back. Lightning felt herself arch her back weakly at the movement. Through the haze in her mind, she cursed the fact that with merely a touch, Fang could make her feel as if she had been stripped completely bare. And not just in a material sense but also emotional.

With both her hands on the soldier's hips, her fingers tentatively teasing the skin beneath the combat coat, Fang once again spoke in a hushed whisper against Lightning's ear.

"Ready?" All Lightning could do to reply was nod dreamily, attempting to keep most of her focus on standing and not crumbling completely under the Oerban's ministrations, "Remember, stay calm and whatever you do, don't kick."

Lightning could barely process the last sentence as one of Fang's hands moved past her behind and down to the back of her thigh. With one last split-second of hesitation, the Gran Pulsian swiftly pushed the smaller woman upwards, using her grip on the pinkette's thigh to help swing it over the feathery mass that stood—had been standing, waiting, in front of them.

Though she instantly missed the intensely impassioned contact between Fang and herself, Lightning welcomed the soft mass of feathers she was now seated upon. Though her muscles were now tense again and the haze in her mind replaced with anxious concentration, she felt a growing sense of pride and accomplishment.

"See?" Fang spoke from below her, one hand gently stroking the neck of the Chocobo the soldier had just successfully mounted, "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

* * *

**A/N:**  
Bwahahahaaaaa an update! ..don't hurt me _  
Yes, yes, I know finally, finally! =_=;;;  
I apologize, work had been kicking my ass after Christmas so I decided to take a break until after New Years.  
Thought work doesn't look like it's gonna be any better for the next couple of weeks T_T  
Still, I feel bad for not updating so yeah, hence the short, half-assed thing I wrote during lunch today _  
Hey, it's better than nothing, right?

Oh and yeah, I get that Lightning's Eidolon is a HORSE so why the hell is she having trouble with a Chocobo-  
BECAUSE CHOCOBO PWNS EIDOLON. FACT.  
Srsly, do not mess with them badass buggers...

Besides, the scene was immensely adorable in my head o_0


	12. Dirty Fighting

**XI - Dirty Fighting**

* * *

"You even tryin' Sunshine?" Fang taunted as Lightning hit the ground on her side. It was only for a few seconds, however, for she was back on her feet in a flash. Her Oerban opponent smirked at the Cocoon soldier's zeal. The pinkette had wasted no time, pushing herself back onto her feet and taking a few calculated steps backwards. It had effectively put her out of the reach of Fang's lance.

"And if I said I wasn't?" The question caused the Gran Pulsian's grin to widen, while an ecstatic shiver shot through her body. She disregarded the idea of answering a question that really didn't need one, and spun her lance back around her torso and lowering herself into a crouch. After a few quick breaths, she launched herself at the pinkette.

The two of them had been at it for over an hour. What started as an disagreement grew into a argument; that matured into a sparring match; and evolved into something else entirely. No punches were pulled, no holds were barred, this was a fight between enemies, not comrades in arms. The various cuts and bruises that adorned both combatants were evidence of this.

A particularly swift kick to her side sent Fang stumbling sideways, off balance. Lightning attempted to follow up with a swipe of her gunblade but the Oerban managed to deflect it with her lance and counter with a roundhouse. The ex-sergeant evaded it easily but it gave Fang the space she needed to recover from the blow to her side.

It never failed to amaze her, how fast the Cocoon native was. She could probably honestly say that there wasn't another creature—human, l'cie or otherwise—that could match Lightning's speed. Another hard string of attacks with the gunblade put her, once again, on the defensive. The blows were relatively light but she felt a force behind them. She could see it in Lightning's eyes. The light blue orbs that said more than Light ever would with words. And right now, they screamed anger.

"I'm sick-" A strike to her side, "-of you treating everything-" An attempt at her shoulder, "-like a damn joke!" Lightning finished the combination with an overhead blow to Fang's head with her gunblade. Fang had managed to parry all three strikes and countered the third with a large swipe with her lance, forcing the pinkette to flip backwards to evade it. Another brief pause in combat. Fang noted that, while Lightning was tiring, her own movements had been slowing down. She was running out of energy. She clenched her jaw and shook her head. No, there was no way Lightning was winning this fight.

"You need to lighten the hell up, Sunshine!" She retorted, preparing for another assault.

Lightning grit her teeth, waiting for Fang to make her move. She knew Fang had more power, Fang knew too, just as they both knew that she was the faster of the two. But the fight had gone on much longer than she anticipated, she'd expended more energy than she'd planned. She was forced to parry a lot more than she'd have liked.

"We all know the situation we're in-" Her hands shook as she parried a strong blow from the Gran Pulsian, "-without you reminding us every single second-" Another low, wide swipe that she barely managed to evade—correction she didn't—she felt a sting along her thigh, "-of every single day!"

Losing focus of her surroundings, Lightning found her footing falter, leaving herself open to a firm kick in the gut. Letting out a pained grunt, she stumbled a couple of feet backwards, the wind knocked out of her. She was still gasping for air when she felt Fang grab her by the neck and pin her against a boulder that fallen away from the mountainside. She began to raise her gunblade but the Oerban warrior pinned the tip against the ground with her lance.

"Making jokes doesn't stop us from turning cie'th-"

"Neither does bringing it up every chance you get!" Fang yelled, shocking both herself and Lightning.

The pinkette noticed Fang's grip on her loosen. She took the opportunity to knock her away with her free arm and kick her gunblade free. This enabled her to lash out, managed to draw blood along Fang's left arm—across her tattoo. But true to her nature, Fang persisted and managed to pin the Cocoon soldier against the boulder again, this time using not just her hands and lance but the most of her body to hold Lightning in place.

Both combatants were breathing hard. If she were any less angry, Lightning may have blushed at the incredibly close contact but she continued to glare at the Oerban. Fang broke into a smirk as she glance at the cut along her arm.

"Serious as ever." She muttered.

"I'm a serious person." Lightning retorted.

"First step is to admit you have a problem." Fang teased.

"Right now, you're my problem." Lightning spat, causing Fang to laugh.

"Sure it ain't the fact that you lost this fight?" Fang taunted with a small scoff, motioning to the pinkette's pinned arms.

Lightning almost growled again, struggling in vain to free herself from the taller woman's grip. She let out an exasperated breath. The look of victory in Fang's eyes only fed the fire in her muscles and fueled her refusal to lose. Ceasing the struggle against Fang's grip, she watched as a look of confusion grew on the Gran Pulsian's face before leaning forward the short distance to capture Fang's lips with her own.

There was a moment her mind blanked but when she found her tongue darting out to taste the other woman's lips, she regained control of herself. There was no hesitation, no gentle teasing, Lightning's teeth bit Fang's bottom lip, inciting a low moan from the Oerban warrior. As she deepened the kiss, feeling Fang's tongue against her own, she also felt the grip on her wrists loosen. Soon the restraining hands were around her waist and in her hair.

Within seconds the only thing Lightning could hear were heated breaths for air between the two of them. The only thing she felt were Fang's hands and and lips. The Gran Pulsian kissed like she fought, with ferocity and passion. It was eating away at Lightning's control—control she couldn't afford to lose.

Gripping the handle of her gunblade she slowly brought it up, barely managing to avoid disturbing the other woman's roaming hands. Gently she brought the tip around and placed it lightly against Fang's neck. And as soon as it began, the kiss ended. Lightning pulled away slowly to see the utterly shocked look on Fang's face. Applying pressure ever so slightly she forced Fang away from her, giving her the room to step away from the boulder.

She tilted her head as she watched the confusion in the Oerban's eyes slowly change to defeat before letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. After another moment of silence, she deftly folded her gunblade and holstered it swiftly.

"I win." She muttered as she brushed past the defeated warrior.

Still in shock, Fang couldn't do much more than look over her shoulder to watch the Cocoon soldier walk away without looking back.

"No fair Sunshine," She muttered, breaking into a grin, "That's playing dirty."

* * *

**A/N:**

What? This fic's rated T!  
I can't write anything rated higher than T anyway =[  
...yet o_0

Yesh, Dirty Fighting _is_ a paradigm.

Was writing FLight always this fun?  
Huh... hard to believe I'd forgotten...

2 more chapters/paradigms to go!


	13. Convalescence

**XII - Convalescence**

* * *

"Wait, what?" Fang looked between the other four l'Cie, "You mean I have to babysit?"

"Fang, you're the only one who can keep her under control if she... gets any worse." Hope motioned to the pinkette half leaning against her, half hanging off her arm.

"But-"

"If you think about it, it _is_ kinda your responsibility." Vanille spoke up, giving the taller Oerban a look. Fang frowned at her smaller companion, "What? I told you clean the wound with the remedy, not have her drink it." Fang clicked her tongue. It hadn't been her fault. The wound the Cocoon soldier had acquired had been just below her chest. Vanille had taken the liberty to remove all articles of clothing that wouldn've otherwise gotten in the way of bandaging it. In short: Fang had been distracted—too distracted to properly follow instructions.

"F-Fang... why... why are you so... _hard_?" The pinkette's slurred question turned Fang's attention to her again. The ex-sergeant was poking at one of the Gran Pulsian's arms. The others took the chance to break into two groups of two to find more ingredients to counteract Vanille's 'remedy' on Lightning. Fang pulled her arm away, just as the pinkette began tracing the pattern of her brand.

"Alright, c'mon you." She led the soldier over to a soft patch of long grass and sat her down, "Just... try and stay still alright?" She moved to stand but found the grasp on her arm tighten.

"You stay." The pinkette pleaded, a look in her eye Fang refused to resist. Tightening her jaw, the Oerban moved to sit next to the other woman. Lightning shift, laying on her side, resting her head in Fang's lap. The Gran Pulsian swallowed the massive lump in her throat. She silently cursed at the awkwardness she was feeling. Since the moment she'd laid eyes on the beautiful woman before her, she'd wanted to be as close to her as possible. She'd wanted to be able to run hand through her hair, a finger across her skin. All thoughts of such actions had always led to predictions of loss of a limb or two.

Fang slowly traced a finger up Lightning's bare arm. The soldier's coat was still off so she was able to continue along part of her back. She stopped when the pinkette shook slightly.

"Mmmm that tickles!" Shifting again, Lightning was now facing upwards, looking into Fang's eyes. Swallowing again, the Oerban warrior found herself falling into the pools of cerulean blue. Unable to resist, her free hand began stroking the other woman's hair.

She cursed inwardly again. She'd made it somewhat of a life-mission to tease the Cocoon native as much as possible, if only to have her attention for the duration. But now with Lightning being under the influence of... well... she didn't exactly know what Vanille had put into that 'remedy', she couldn't shake the feeling that she was taking advantage or something similarly ridiculous. Being able to be so close to the pinkette while she was this vulnerable, it seemed... wrong to Fang.

"The sky's so pretty!" Lightning suddenly exclaimed, pointing upward, grinning uncharacteristically. It was infectious, Fang found herself cracking a smile as she followed the pinkette's gaze. Night was coming, the sky was pained a deep orange that blended into a dark purple. The sun was retreating and stars had begun to come out of hiding.

Her gaze falling back down to observe the ex-sergeant, Fang noticed Lightning's face had grown quite serious. Crystal blue eyes stared up at her, holding her gaze, preventing her from looking away.

"You could hurt sky..." The pinkette suddenly said in a low voice, "...something you said before... back up there." Lightning pointed toward the hanging moon in the distance. Fang was confused for a few moments before remembering the conversation they'd had shortly after they're becoming acquainted. She felt the odd urge to smirk at the memory.

"You mean about Vanille?" The Gran Pulsian brushed aside a few strands of pink that had fallen across the soldier's face, "About how I'd tear the sky to save her? I would." The pinkette looked away. Fang's eyebrow arched. Was she... pouting? A scoff actually escaped her lips as she moved her hand to trace Lightning's jawline. Was she jealous? Gently pulling the soldier's face toward her again, Fang caught Lightning's eyes and took a short breath, "And I'd juggle the stars to just to make you smile." The two women continued to stare into one another eyes for a long few moments before the pinkette began giggling again.

"Well that'd just be silly!" Fang tried to ignore the pang of hurt in the bottom of her heart but remembered the fact that the soldier wasn't exactly herself at the moment. She forced another smiled before returning her hand to stroking Lightning's hair.

"I suppose you're right, Sunshine." Fang hadn't lied though. Healing remedies aside, she would've done just about anything just to see Lightning smile. Truly smile. At her. Realizing she'd been distracted, she eventually noticed Lightning shuffling around again. Before she could figure out exactly what the soldier was doing, she found her arms around her neck, pulling her down into a kiss.

Too shocked to respond at first, Fang's first thought was to pull away. As much as she wanted it, Lightning was not herself. But before she knew it, the Gran Pulsian had already begun to respond. She wrapped an arm around Lightning's waist as the pinkette pulled her closer deepening the kiss. Soft yet firm, playful yet intense; the feeling of Lightning's lips on hers sent sparks through her mind and shockwaves through her body. She felt the Cocoon soldier nip at her lower lip and couldn't prevent the escape of a soft sigh.

Between the short gasps for air between kisses, Fang still felt the annoying voice in the back of her head and the pit of her gut, willing her to stop. She'd wanted Lightning so much but not while she was... like this. But Fang didn't stop. What little strength she had, she used to keep the kisses light. The jokes, the sarcasm, the flirting; all the playfulness Fang displayed, it seemed as if she wasn't as scared as the rest of the l'Cie. Fang was strong. She was a warrior. She'd never lose her head. She'd never have wanted to scream at the top of her lungs or break down and cry. And the only reason she'd teased Lightning was solely to piss the soldier off. It'd never had anything to do with begging for the soldier to notice her weaknesses, to hold her in her arms, tell her it'd be okay and kiss her tears away.

Sitting there, alone with Lightning, Fang allowed her weaknesses to show. She reveled in the other woman's touch, feeling a heavy weight lift off her shoulders as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

**A/N:**

Oh my, finally and update for something other than FFafterXIII =|  
*gasp*!

What? Fang can't vulnerable? Emotionally? Pffft! I call shenannigans!

Also, gold star for whoever can tell me what the 'juggling stars' line is reference to ^^

One more chapter to go!


	14. Perpetual Magic

**XIII - Perpetual Magic**

* * *

:::

_Wishes can come true._

_But not if you just wait for miracles_

_Miracles are things we make ourselves._

_Here, And now._

:::

It wasn't fair. Twice had Fang had fallen into despair; lost herself to the point of turning on her friends. Both times Lightning ignored her nature and reached out to the Oerban warrior. Both times she'd felt her heart crack at the sight of the proud Gran Pulsian being torn apart—not physically—but mentally, emotionally. To watch as Fang was brought to her knees, a higher power threatening to take over and control her fate. The first was Bahamut, the second Ragnarok. Now, in order to save Cocoon, Lightning felt the Oerban woman was about to relive the same suffering as before.

Only this time was different. It was different because Lightning knew it was necessary—that it was the _'right thing to do'_. Fang didn't want to be saved; she didn't _need_ to be saved. And it was this, that Lightning found the hardest to accept—refused to accept. She's almost lost Fang twice, she no longer felt strong enough to risk a third time. Irrationality had begun to cloud her vision along with the dust and debris from the shattering world below.

The ex-sergeant wanted to scream as she felt herself drift farther and farther from the two Oerbans below. Farther away from Fang. She wanted to stop ascending, to fall toward the dying planet below if it meant closing the distance between her and the Gran Pulsian warrior. But what small shred of sense she retained kept her still, kept her waiting and watching. She couldn't find her voice, and the gap only continued to grow. She barely noticed the formation of the glacial crystal beginning to coat her body.

Nearer the withering Cocoon, Fang watched the soft face that haunted her days and pervaded her dreams, grow smaller and smaller. The look of distress on the pinkette's face continued to make the task ahead of her even harder to go through with. She found it physically hurt for her to resist the urge to call out to Lightning, to rip her gaze away from the ex-sergeant. But this was the only way to save Cocoon. To save her. And even if it meant bearing the pain of leaving her side, Fang would follow through without fear of regret.

"Vanille?"

"Ready."

As the planet below all of them grew dark, the pair of Oerbans began to glow brightly. And soon all anyone saw was a blinding light.

:::

"_Fang?" Lightning broke the silence first. She and Fang sat next to each other on a floating couch. Were they any less focused on each other, they'd have vaguely registered their surroundings as the room just before where they'd defeated Orphan. Sunlight filtered through the window behind the seat, warming their skin. A gentle breeze tickled both their hair._

"_Yes, Light?" The sounds of their voices were echoing, fading in and out, shimmering almost._

"_Is this the end?" The pinkette asked looking down at the floor by her feet, slowly realizing it was crystallizing._

"_The end of what, love?" Came a question in reply. Lightning turned to Fang slowly. The Oerban was also watching as the crystal began to seep across the floor, moving slowly up towards the seat, claiming it as well._

"_Of us." Lightning stated, finding Fang's eyes. Cerulean blue and forest green grew lost in the other again._

"_It'll never end, Light." Fang reached for Lightning who mirrored her movement, "Not for us."_

"_Promise me."_

"_I promise."_

_As their fingers touched, an explosion of crystal shattered the already-fragmented memory of a dream._

:::

As the destructive force of Ragnarok left her soul; as the crystal began to harden around her body; her consciousness returning to her only to slowly begin to fade away again; Fang's remaining thoughts were of only one thing. One person. One woman. Lightning had etched herself into fang's soul and no amount of change—mental or physical could erase her.

She could no longer see now; the crystallization was almost complete, her consciousness all but gone. But before she fell into slumber, she heard it. Lightning's voice from a far-off place, yet it filled her head, her heart and soul. She could no longer process the words but it was music to Fang's ears. They were filled with joy and relief, hope and love. They were said through a smile. A true smile. And while she couldn't see it, Fang felt it. And it was enough. Fully fulfilled and completely content, Fang succumbed to her crystal sleep, silently awaiting the day she would see that smile as clear as she had felt it.

Far below the crystal cradle, wordlessly wishing the Oerban warrior sweet dreams, Lightning stood, her hand over her chest. The dull ache of their separation remained but was now easily offset by the warmth of the promise they'd made between sleep and awake—somewhere between dreams and reality. It was a promise made of hope, made with love. It was a promise that enabled Lightning to turn to her friends—her family—and smile for them too. It was a promise of nothing short of magic and miracles.

:::

_When prayers turn to promises, not even fate can stand in their way._

* * *

**A/N:**

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it's complete.  
I realize it's probably the shortest chapter but I wanted it to be short and sweet... bittersweet, whatever.

*sigh*  
Well then, that was fun.  
Was a hell of a ride. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing ^^

**::EDIT::**

There_ should_ be a super secret poll on my profile page regarding the possibility of more color-coded FLight lovin' =3


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